Monday, January 18, 2016

Shooting Starz' 2015 Edition: European lads'

Time for another analytical round; Huh? Of those
aspiring Twenty Somne-thungs' hoping to claim one of the extremely rare and
overly coveted Formula 1 race seats! As let's see what new Hot Schues' have joined
the party...

As typical, I began my season's perusal 'O
thy Feeder Series even later last year, in Mid August; CRIKEYS!

Which as typical, has spiraled outta control -
Slithering Thy way into thou New Year, as once again, Thy nebulous No Fenders
Wormhole Vortex has grasped Thy story...

Having finally tuned into what Jonathan Green
would call a "KURR-RACKING RACE!" Having watched; Hey, I can sorta
S-E-E the Cars on my new Bitchin' Flat-screen TV; Hya! Especially now since
Randal, Thy Moniker King has switched thee TV Remote back onto Channel 3;
ZOINKS!

Thanxs
Randal!

Thus, tuning into Thy Hungarian GP weekend's
GP2 Feature race being called by Alex Jakes and Jolyon Palmer - which seems
like such a long time ago now... Ultimately saw Team Willys' (Williams F1)
Development Driver & GP2 Rookie Alex Lynn win! Whilst ZERO idea if that
Jakes fellah is related to an IndyCar driver, eh?

Once again, various aspiring Formula 1 Starz'
who are currently waiting in the wings while honing their race-craft in GP2 last
season included: Manor Marussia F1 Development Driver) Jordan King racing
alongside current part-time Manor Marussia F1 driver Alexander Rossi who were
team-mates at Racing Engineering with Rossi currently lying second in the
championship prior to the season finale at Abu Dhabi.

Red
Bull Racing F1 signed DAMS GP2 Driver Pierre Gasly as
its Reserve Driver on 30 September, who finished eighth in the championship.

Sauber F1's Reserve Driver Raffaele Marciello contested his sophomore
GP2 season with Trident Racing. With the soon-to-be 21yr old Italian, who's
part of the Ferrari Driver Academy finishing seventh in the championship.

Former Sauber F1 Reserve Driver "S-Squared,"
aka Sergey Sirotkin finished
third overall in the title fight for Rapax - Pipping hopeful Manor F1 graduate Rio Haryanto, who finished
fourth in the championship by one point! Even though Haryanto was a
multiple race winner this season for Campos Engineering.

Team Willy', aka Williams F1
saw their season's long Development Driver) Alex Lynn scoring his maiden GP2
victory at Hungary for DAMS, (as noted above) whilst Lynn's team-mate is the
aforementioned Pierre
Gasly, both being rookie drivers last
year, albeit Gasly made his debut in 2014 as relief driver.

Evans, whom I've joked 'bout in the past of
NOT being the ex-Unlimited Hydroplane driver; Hya! Finished a respectable fifth
for Russian Time Racing while Stanaway
rounded out the Top-10 finishing order driving for Status Grand Prix.

Yet for Mwah, my periodical focus on the
series last season concerned American Hot Schue Alexander Rossi who closed out the season with an excellent runner-up
finish! After having finished his five race stint in Formula 1 at the Brazilian
Grand Prix, capped with his season best 12th place drive for Manor Marussia F1
appropriately at Circuit Of The Americas in Austin.

Rossi claimed the best season finish by a
'Yank ever, eclipsing somebody named Scotty "The Goose!" Speed's
third place finish 'Wayback in Twenty-oh-Five, which ultimately led to his
selection as a Scuderia Toro Rosso F1 Pilote' during Red Bull's American
Formula 1 driver search programme, which hopefully will be a welcome omen for
Rossi's future in Formula 1...

DTM

Typically don't pay Attenzione to thy German
Touring Car series, yet with Mercedes GP
Test/Reserve Driver Pascal
Wehrlein routinely being rumoured to be inline for one
of Manor's two race drives for 2016, the 21yr old German definitely should
garner consideration.

Wehrlein celebrated his 21st birthday in
style by clinching the 2015 DTM title at Hockenheim and has also seen testing
duty for Force India F1 as well as Mercedes; having return to testing action for the latter
at the just concluded Abu Dhabi Post-season Pirelli tyre test. Naturally hoping
to emulate Paul di Resta's previous transition from the Tintops to premiere
single seater series in 2016.

FR 3.5

Didn't read a Peep upon this premiere Feeder Series
last season and hence didn't have a clue that Renault was bolting from the
series effective at end of the 2015 season

Henceforth, didn't have a Bloody clue who the
points leader going into the summer break Oliver Rowland was? Although I did
manage to read that he's funded by the same Racing Steps organization funding
current two times Indy Lights series runner-up and fellow Brit' Jack Harvey,
who's now knocking 'bout trying to find a B-I-G' CARZ', nee IndyCar ride for
2016.

As the only name of the Top-5 points
finishers names I recognize is Dean Stoneman's, the 2014 GP3 runner-up, who's
probably somewhat disappointed with his fourth place finish.

As Rowland and Fortec Motorsports team-mate Jazeman Jaafar
finished first and third respectively. With Lotus's Matthieu Vaxiviere
runner-up, Stoneman P4 and Nyck
De Vries rounding out the Top-5 for DAMS respectively.

GP3

Also totally out-of-sync with this Feeder
Series which is also completely off my radar, and thus just looked up who last
year's Top-5 finishers were.

Rookie teenager Esteban Ocon of
France won the GP3 championship for perennial "Junior Series" winners
ART Grand Prix in his first try at the age of 19, having won the European F3
crown the year prior.

As I can only ARSE-Sume that GP3 team-mate Alfonso Celis
has substantial Carlos Slim TelMex backing behind his recently announced Force
India F1 Development Driver Dealio, Ci?

Which reportedly "Freeze's Out" Ocon's hopes of
snagging the very same role at Force India, which may or may not become Aston
Martin? Although Mercedes inked Esteban to a contract during the Abu Dhabi
weekend - Making him part of their Driver Academy. So I'm guessing this may help
him jump up to GP2 for 2016, especially with the rumours of his Mercedes F1
testing role possibly taking Pascal Wehrlein's place in order to move to Manor
F1?

Although NO idea who'll win the $15m Buy-a-Ride F1 seats
up for grabs at Manor...

Italian Luca Ghiotto driving for Trident
in his sophomore campaign was runner-up, while 21yr old German Marvin Kirchhöfer, team-mate
of Ocon's
finished third for the second year in-a-row, also driving for ART.

Another totally unknown name to Mwah is Great
Britain's Emil
Bernstorff, who's name doesn't sound very British to
me. With the 22yr old Bloody Brit' finishing fourth overall for Arden
International.

And rounding out the Top-5 points finishers was
Sweden's Jimmy, "NOT MARCUS!" Eriksson, as the 24yr old Swede Koiranen GP
Pilote' surely hopes to move up to GP2 and ultimately emulate his fellow
countryman's progression to Thy Promised land, ergo F1...